What is "singularity"?

Answer 1

Since you asked this question in Astronomy and Space I assume you mean Gravtational Singularity.

A gravitational singularity (sometimes spacetime singularity) is, approximately, a place where quantities which are used to measure the gravitational field become infinite. Such quantities include the curvature of spacetime or the density of matter. More accurately, a spacetime with a singularity contains geodesics which cannot be completed in a smooth manner. The limit of such a geodesic is the singularity.

The two most important types of spacetime singularities are curvature singularities and conical singularities. Singularities can also be divided according to whether they are covered by an event horizon or not (naked singularities). According to general relativity the initial state of the universe, at the beginning of the Big Bang, was a singularity, or single point. Another type of singularity predicted by general relativity is inside a black hole: any star collapsing beyond a certain point would form a black hole, inside which a singularity (covered by an event horizon) would be formed, as all the matter would flow into a certain point (or a circular line, if the black hole is rotating). These singularities are curvature singularities.

To know more about Singularities click the following link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_singularity

Answer 2

A singularity is an abused and not fully understood term.

Some view it as the mass of the universe the size of a pin head. Others view it the mass of the universe the size of our sun.

Some view it as dense matter with a huge gravity well.

What makes the singularity unique is that is has huge gravity.

Imagine something the size of a salt or sugar grain. Just one little salt or sugar grain, that has more gravity than the Earth.

More gravity than the Sun.

That is what is called dense matter and it can be considered a singularity.

Some view the Big Bang singularity as being one big Atom. An atomic particle with a number on the periodic chart so large you don't have enough zeros to define it.

Right now there are 123-130 elements.

I'm taking one that is 100000000000000

Something with a gazillion protons a gazzillon neutrons and goggles of electron shells.

I can't view the universe that way.

I view the universe as a mass object made up of all the atoms in the universe compacting until those atoms start to fuse and go chain reaction releasing heat and radiation.

This seems the most logical to me.

This would be a ball maybe the size of the Earth or the Sun made up of all those little sugar grains that each weight more than the sun

So it would be a massive planatiod of some type crunching the mass of the universe as tightly as it can until it goes critical with nuclear fusion.

Answer 3

A singularity is a place where our known laws of physics break down. That doesn't mean there are no rules there: we just don't know them. Typically, such singularities happen when the laws of physics we know predict something physical to become infinite: infinite density, infinite temperature, infinite gravitational field, or something like that. This happens inside a black hole and also, in a different way, at the start of the Big Bang.

A lesser notion of singularity is a 'coordinate singularity', where the particular system of coordinates we use breaks down for some reason. A good exmaple of this is at the north pole. The longitude of the north pole is not defined: it could be anything. But, the geometry at the north pole is still non-singular.

Answer 4

As singularity is an abslolute entity which forms the whole. Single means one a only one.
The Big Bang theory describes that the Universe was created out of a singularity. This Singularity ,originally ,was called by George Lemaitre a Premordial Mass.Later this Singularity was described by Stephen Hawkins as a result of a solution of Eintein"s Gravity Field Equation.This singularity was believed to contain the total mass of the Universe,,Power , Temperature Energy ,time etc.. into a single geometrical spherical volume equivalent to the size of a golf Ball.
This was the proof that the mass of the Universe when condensed and removing its space structure can be a very small volume that can fit under the table of a kichten.
If the mass of the Sun Was reduced to a singularity it would be so minutely infinitessimally small that it would be invisible to the strongest microscope.Yet it would still contain the same amount of mass.

Answer 5

Singularity may refer to:

In mathematics:

Essential singularity, a function is a singularity near which a function exhibits extreme behavior
Isolated singularity, a mathematical singularity that has no other singularities close to it
Mathematical singularity, a point at which a given mathematical object is not defined
Movable singularity, a concept in singularity theory
Rational singularity, a concept in singularity theory
Removable singularity, a point at which a function is not defined but at which it can be so defined that it is continuous at the singularity
Singularity theory, which deals with these concepts
In science:

Gravitational singularity, a point in spacetime in which gravitational forces cause matter to have an infinite density and zero volume
Mechanical singularity, a position or configuration of a mechanism or a machine where the subsequent behaviour cannot be predicted
Prandtl-Glauert singularity, the point at which a sudden drop in air pressure occurs
Singularity (climate), a weather phenomenon associated with a specific calendar date
Technological singularity, a theoretical point in the development of a scientific civilization
In television:

"Singularity" (Enterprise episode), a second season episode of Star Trek: Enterprise
"Singularity" (Stargate SG-1 episode), a first season episode of Stargate SG-1
In other fields:

Singularity (Doctor Who audio), a Doctor Who audio drama
Singularity (operating system), an operating system research project by Microsoft
Singularity (novel), a novel by Bill DeSmedt published by Per Aspera Press on November 8, 2004
Singularity (album), Mae's upcoming release (2007)

Answer 6

Common definition:the quality of being one of a kind; "that singularity distinguished him from all his companions"

As this is Astronomy section, the meaning of "singularity" is:
A singularity is a point in space-time at which the density of matter and the gravitational field are infinite (forming a black hole). Singularities are points at which the mathematical solution to the space-time equations are undefined.

Answer 7

singularity is a special character that is not found in anything else in the univese.
Take for instnce space .Everything needs space to exist . but space needs nothingto exist .- nothig at all. This spoace is relly nothing -void - emptiness .But we say that there IS space . that means that it is some being .Whe we say that hereis ,we refer to somethingthat is NOT ..bUT THAT not IS REQUIRED FOR EVERYTHNG TO EXIOST .BUT FOR SPACE NOTHING IN THE ENTIR UNIRSE CAN EXIST AT ALL.
Is this not a special character ?
People say that that the space is boundless.Yes it should be boundless .Lest , if ti has a boundary , it shouldb marked fromsomehting else .-that is its boundary should end somewhre , beyind which ther eshould be sometnhing else Lest there cannot be a boundary. Thjis is the reason that we easily understnd that the psace is boundless. The existence of something boundless is something very hard tocisualize for us as we ar used to see everything with boundary and shape .Thngs need space for their existnce , and movement too and to stnd apart from the other .but for the space ther canner be any movement at all.Imagine a situation that some peice o stone has no space equivalent to its volume .What would happen to the stone ? Where will it exist . so the space is a being and non-being too. It is character is a singularity.
"The whole universe is pervaded
by my unmanifest form;
all creatures exist in me,
but I do not exist in them. verse 4 of the 9Th teaching of ?bhagavad -gita .

" I am the heat that withholds
and sends down the rains;
I am immortality and death;
BOTH BEING AND NON-BEING I AM.."...verse 19 of he 9Th teaching of Bhagavad -Gita.
The non-being space is the one that sustains everything in the cosmos .But for it there would be no movement and no life .
This the singularity of the space .

Answer 8

Singularity is a mistake made by people trying to answer questions about the universe.
They use "ZERO" in their equations and then try to force the Universe to accept zero.

I hold that the Universe, by definition, is that which exists; and that no thing can come from nothing and no thing can go to nothing.

With these few precepts being truth, I derive that "nothing" and "zero" do not exist
in the universe. Close to zero is OK but not zero.

Answer 9

If a singularity could exist it would consist of a point with no dimensions except a time vector.

Answer 10

singularity must be very similar to the sanskrit word "ADVAITHA", the school of philosophy of monoism or the one without a second. that singular entity is the consciousness that is all pervading, all knowing substratum upon which this idea of the universe is superimposed by sheer ignorance of the ultimate TRUTH!